Wild Imagination

I recently read an article by Geneen Marie Haugen entitled Wild Imagination .

 She writes about how our minds are full of images and narratives that are streamed to us for the economic or political benefit of others.  “It’s challenging to pull away from the narratives that are being determined for us, and to engage, instead, directly with the wild Earth, or with the deep imagination,” she writes.  Haugen feels that spending time in nature, (the wilder, the better) will open up this imaginal world for us.  She sees this as a survival strategy.  “Cultivating the extraordinary human capacity to imagine alternate possibilities is, I believe, at least part of an essential navigation strategy for our times of multiple crises and ecological peril. “

A friend sent me the link to this on-line article via email.  There is a place for technology even when thinking about the wild.  And the article hit a resonant note for me.  I too feel the deep need to spend time in nature and away from technology and the constant feed of the narrative of scarcity, fear and doom.  I carefully watch, listen to and interact with nature, of which I am of course a part, to find clues and knowledge about how to navigate this uncertain future with all of life.

“We need images of alternatives to endless war and ecocide, we need images that guide us toward purposeful creation, toward human/Earth coherence and sacred intimacy,” writes Haugen.  We need images and we need stories.  We need signposts, breadcrumbs and guides.  I look for them everywhere I go.  It is like going out on a hike to look for wild strawberries.  You have to go out in the spring and look right on the ground in open areas.  You have to look for jagged edged tiny leaves that grow in three’s and small white flowers, or later, tiny bright red berries.  Then you have a chance of finding them.  If you look up in the trees, you might see the blossoms of apples, hawthorns, high bush cranberries and mountain ash, but you won’t see wild strawberries.  If you look under the water, you might see lily pads rising from the lake bottom or cattails growing towards the surface of the water or bull rushes but you won’t find strawberries. 

If you are looking for alternative images and stories, mainstream media is probably not the place you will find them.  You will see stories of wars and political soap opera sound bites.  You will see stories of division and crime.  But you won’t find…. wild strawberries or stories that are still imaginal.  Stories about people regenerating the earth, learning to work with each other and all of life to heal the damage done by an idea that turned out to be harmful.

If you only look in one place for wild strawberries, you might not find them for they grow where they grow and not where we want them. If you get all of your stories from facebook then they may all be the same story or they may not even be true.  It takes a little bit of work and searching to find stories of regeneration but then usually, this will be the beginning of a path of bread crumbs and more stories will emerge.

Tree Sisters has now planted 5 million trees in the tropics.  Women from around the world are finding ways to work together to grow, plant and finance these trees.  In an email I received, founder Claire DuBois writes, “We just passed 5,000,000 trees. Together. In a world of shocking news - this makes my heart sing. So many lives changed, endangered species protected, ecosystems being healed and regenerated. Thank you to every treesister and brother helping us do this work. You are the gold that makes the difference. We need hundreds of thousands more like you. Your love and dedication have helped to plant over 5 million trees across eight planting projects. Projects that repair landscapes and improve lives right across the tropics.”

According to an article (Can Planting Billions of Trees Save the Planet  by Patrick Barkham) in The Guardian, the United Nations in March of this year  announced a Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.  The UN has set a target to restore 350 million hectares which is an area larger than India, by 2030.

Many countries are pledging to plant millions of trees and there is talk of using drones to do this.  However, DuBois feels that the way forward is to build relationships between people and trees, thus reducing the threat of future deforestation.  Also, reforestation has to go hand in hand with poverty alleviation.  So, projects where people can earn money planting trees and also plant trees that will bring economic benefits are key.  Clare Dubois is quoted;  “We’re saying: ‘Let’s not wait for the government, we the people are the solution and can drive massive change.’ We’re talking about how we can move from rebellion to restoration.”

Imagine that.  Allow yourself to move into the imaginal world, have a wild imagination.  It may be easier to do this in a wild space where you can feel the strength of the trees above you and Earth below you and become aware of the deep relationships you have with all of nature.  Imagine all the things you can do to be restorative.  Imagine joining with others to do restorative work.  You are the new story.